Disaster relief throughIHG® Shelter in a Storm

Disaster relief through IHG® Shelter in a Storm

Hotels are at the centre of communities, a focal point for economic activity. But just as they can be a place for communities to come together at times of celebration, they can also play a vital role by providing security and refuge when disaster strikes.

IHG® Shelter in a Storm builds on our long and proud history of helping local communities in times of need. It aims to ensure we provide a more consistent response in our hotels and corporate offices, using our global partnership with CARE to draw on their expertise in disaster preparedness and relief, guiding our hotels on how to respond.

Central to the programme is our IHG Shelter Fund, which is built up by fundraising activities in our hotels and corporate offices throughout the year. This means we can provide vital assistance immediately after a disaster, rather than having to wait for fundraising efforts to take effect.

By using our global scale and the size of both our employee and guest base, we’re able to raise considerable funds. In 2014 we raised raised over $840,000 for our IHG Shelter Fund, enabling us to provide support following 18 disasters in 9 countries in 2014 and 46 diasters in 18 countries since IHG Shelter in a Storm was established in 2011.

IHG® Race Around the World

IHG Race Around the World is our week-long global awareness and fundraising initiative for IHG Shelter in a Storm. Each year, thousands of employees worldwide take part as individuals and in teams. We celebrate outstanding contributions to the event, rewarding those who participate in the most inspiring ways.

In 2014, 63,000 IHG colleagues from 686 hotels in 71 countries took part in IHG Race Around the World.

Disaster Preparedness in The Philippines

Due to its tropical location, the islands of the Philippines are regularly impacted by typhoons and severe weather. Representatives from our hotels and Central Reservation Office collaborated on fundraising efforts to raise money for disaster relief kits for our hotels to ensure we can act quickly in times of need. The kits include bedding, clothing and vital food and healthcare supplies. IHG also made a donation to help CARE Philippines with their disaster preparedness work to ensure communities are more resilient and better able to bounce back from future disasters.

"Funding for disaster preparedness is rarely available - yet investment in preparedness significantly increases the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of emergency response."

Alexandra Maclean, Country Director, CARE Philippines

Disaster Relief in Egypt

In April 2014, heavy rains caused severe flooding in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Our hotel in the area, InterContinental Resort Taba Heights, was inundated with water and mud on its lower floors. Thankfully all our guests and colleagues were safe and accounted for. However, over 250 colleagues living on-property lost all their personal belongings when their living spaces were destroyed. A Crisis Team was convened consisting of representatives from Risk, CR, Human Resources and Operations to assess the impact in the wake of this disaster and work crossfunctionally to ensure assistance reached those in need. We allocated US$30,500 of the IHG Shelter Fund to provide our colleagues with vital supplies and basic necessities need at this time.